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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Paradise (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Paradise. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Paradise is located in Butte County.

To see how the shape of California's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Butte County: Colusa, Glenn, Plumas, Sutter, Tehama & Yuba.

Below are the counties that are near Paradise. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Paradise:

  • Butte County     (The home county of Paradise)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paradise, with the one closest to Paradise listed first.
    • Irish Town
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irish Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irish Town
      • Irish Town is located in Butte County
    • Magalia
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Concow
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Concow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concow
      • Concow is located in Butte County
    • Nimshew
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nimshew
      • Nimshew is located in Butte County
    • Paradise Pines
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Pines
      • Paradise Pines is located in Butte County
    • De Sabla
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Sabla
      • De Sabla is located in Butte County
    • Forest Ranch
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Ranch
      • Forest Ranch is located in Butte County
    • Pulga
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Big Bend
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
      • Big Bend is located in Butte County
    • Big Bar
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bar
      • Big Bar is located in Butte County
    • Elsey
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Powellton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Powellton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
      • Powellton is located in Butte County
    • Chico
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chico
      • Chico is located in Butte County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102,867 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chico <2>
  • Glenn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paradise, with the one closest to Paradise listed first.
    • Hamilton City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Capay
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Capay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capay
      • Capay is located in Glenn County
    • Glenn
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Butte City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Afton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Afton
      • Afton is located in Glenn County
    • Orland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Plumas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paradise, with the one closest to Paradise listed first.
    • Storrie
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Tobin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tobin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tobin
      • Tobin is located in Plumas County
    • Bucks Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bucks Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucks Lake
      • Bucks Lake is located in Plumas County
    • Belden
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Rich Bar ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rich Bar. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Bar
      • Rich Bar is located in Plumas County
  • Tehama County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paradise, with the one closest to Paradise listed first.
    • Vina
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Los Molinos
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Yuba County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paradise, with the one closest to Paradise listed first.
    • Rackerby
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Brownsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Challenge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Strawberry Valley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Paradise, see our County-by-County Page for Paradise.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Paradise ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 63 newspapers that have been published in the area around Paradise.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Paradise. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Paradise and those printed in the larger area surrounding Paradise.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4> of Paradise.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Paradise:

Cemeteries Near Paradise ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Paradise.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Paradise covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Paradise, with the one closest to Paradise listed first.

  • Centerville Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Centerville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Centerville Cemetery
  • Nicholl Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Nicholl Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nicholl Cemetery
  • Clear Creek Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clear Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clear Creek Cemetery
  • Clarks Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Clarks Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clarks Cemetery
  • Coutolenc Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coutolenc Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coutolenc Cemetery
  • Durham Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Durham Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Durham Cemetery
  • Cherokee Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Glen Oaks Memorial Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Glen Oaks Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Glen Oaks Memorial Park
  • Forest Ranch Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Ranch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Ranch Cemetery
  • Chico Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Oregon City Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Cohasset Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cohasset Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cohasset Cemetery
  • Continue List   (34 more) ...
    • Mechoopda Indian Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Dayton Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Dayton Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northeast of Dayton.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dayton Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2144284 <5>
    • Inskip Pioneer Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Inskip Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Inskip Pioneer Cemetery

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Paradise had a population of 93 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Paradise had a population of 4,329 people.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Paradise, with the one closest to Paradise listed first.

  • Magalia
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Nimshew
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nimshew
    • Nimshew is located in Butte County
  • Yankee Hill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yankee Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Hill
    • Yankee Hill is located in Butte County
  • Pentz
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pentz have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pentz
    • Pentz is located in Butte County
  • Forest Ranch
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Ranch
    • Forest Ranch is located in Butte County
  • Cherokee ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherokee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee
    • Cherokee is located in Butte County
  • Big Bend
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
    • Big Bend is located in Butte County
  • Lovelock
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lovelock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovelock
    • Lovelock is located in Butte County
  • Chico
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chico
    • Chico is located in Butte County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 102,867 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chico <2>
  • Powellton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Powellton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
    • Powellton is located in Butte County
  • Durham
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Brush Creek
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brush Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Creek
    • Brush Creek is located in Butte County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Nelson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Merrimac
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merrimac have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrimac
      • Merrimac is located in Butte County
    • Inskip ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Inskip have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inskip
      • Inskip is located in Butte County

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Paradise. See our List of 1890's Communities around Paradise.

The official website for Paradise: www.townofparadise.com/

The official website for Butte County: www.buttecounty.net/

The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Paradise) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Paradise. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.7595, Longitude: -121.6239    
<5>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<6>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Paradise, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024